Opinion: The Landmark, hysteria and the “Ted Bojanowski syndrome”
Namecaller and political activist Ted Bojanowski doesn’t let the facts get in the way of the truth, viciously attacking public officials who care about the safety and education of the school children at Lyons District 103in the politically motivated Landmark Newspaper. Here’s my response to Bojanowski’s vicious personal attacks against me
By Ray Hanania
When you look back at the coverage of Lyons School District 103, you see a clear pattern in which one newspaper has been biased and another has been professional.
The biased newspaper has been the Landmark, based in Riverside which has acted like a campaign manager for the failed leadership at Lyons School District 103. In contrast, the Des Plaines Valley news, which carries my column, has been objective and has presented both sides fairly.
During the past two years, the School District 103 board, led by Marge Hubacek, has been a series of failures when it comes to the safety and the education of the district’s 2,400 children. They have put politics above the interests and the safety of children.
They ran on a platform of cleaning out politics but in fact have created a political Machine that runs the schools with a clique of extremists activists that include the relatives of several of the board members (two board members are related to each other), and a guy named “Ted Bojanowski” who has over the years personally attacked people including targeting me.
State Senator Martin Sandoval, Lyons Mayor Chris Getty, McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski, and District 103 Board member Jorge Torres denounced the failed leadership of the District 103 School Board majority led by Marge Hubacek. More than a dozen TV news stations and media covered the press conference called to denounce the Hubacek-led board.
Bojanowski doesn’t even live in School District 103, and yet he criticizes elected officials whose jurisdictions include School District 103. Bojanowski is a self-described “lifelong resident of Summit and former Argo HS D217 School Board member” who has been engaged in politics since day one. A hypocrite who asserts that politics shouldn’t be in the school system unless it is his politics, of course. Thankfully, he is not very persuasive and the voters can see past his political hypocrisy. Click here to read about some of the crazy ignorance Bojanowski has advocated publicly.
Most recently, Bojanowski wrote in the biased Landmark Newspaper that the Lyons School District 103 board chairman Hubacek has been criticized for hiring Andres Rodriguez. But instead of criticizing her, Bojanowski defends her, suggesting he thinks it is ok that Hubacek and her board majority failed to see what everyone else in Cook County knew because it was published in newspapers and the news media for more than one year: Rodriguez faces Felony attempted murder charges for losing his temper, and then firing a gun at a pedestrian that Rodriguez ran into while fleeing a Tinley Park bar. The man was injured seven times for nothing.
Here is one story published in the news media that any attentive school board official could have easily seen if they had looked, or cared about the safety and education of School District 103’s children. Click here to read the story published in July 2018, a month before Rodriguez was hired by the Hubacek-led District 103 board.
Apparently, Bojanowski doesn’t think there is anything wrong with hiring a man facing Felony attempted murder charges for firing a gun at a stranger seven times — seven bullets fired at the victim while he was lying on the ground — and then hiring that suspect to teach 6th graders at Lyons elementary schools.
Not only was Rodriguez hired by the Hubacek-led board and two “parttime” superintendents paid more than $200,000 to run the school and screen hirees, but he was chosen over five other more qualified candidates.
Bojanowski has accused officials like Cook County Board member Jeff Tobolski and Lyons President Chris Getty, who have been elected by large majorities of “shamelessly” attacking poor Marge Hubacek for her decisions as if the concerns of the children that Hubacek oversees are not even important. Tobolski was among the 200 angry parents who demanded answers from Hubacek at a board meeting in October that Hubacek refused to allow to speak. And Bojanowski attacked attorney Martin Stack because he filed the complaint with the Illinois Attorney General accusing Hubacek of violating the Illinois Open Meetings Act by denying the parents the right to address the board.
The Illinois Attorney ruled that Hubacek in fact violated state law in silencing the parents who were concerned about a board that would hire a man accused of Felony attempted murder to teach their children — their children Bojanowski, who live in District 103, not yours. You don’t live there!
That’s been the problem with the battle for the safety and education of the children of District 103.
The board majority led by Marge Hubacek care more about politics, and they are being challenged by four very qualified challengers, including incumbent Trustee Jorge Torres who is constantly bullied by the Hubacek-led board. Torres is running with Olivia Quintero, Vito Campanile, and Winifred Rodriguez in the April 2 election under the Parents for School Excellence.
Here is the column I wrote that Bojanowski is angry with. Click here to read it.
Here is the letter Bojanowski wrote and had published in the politically biased and one-sided Landmark Newspaper which has touted the Hubacek-backed candidates will slamming their opponents. Click here to read Bojanowski’s letter.
Lyons School District 103 includes six elementary schools, Costello, Edison, Home, Lincoln, Robinson and Washington, located in Brookfield, McCook, Lyons, Stickney and Forest View. Don’t let the Hubacek-led Board push you out and deny your children the best possible education.
This election is too important.
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A critic of mainstream news media bias, Hanania advocates for peace & justice for Israel & Palestine, & the empowerment of Arabs in America.
Click here to listen to Ray's Political Podcast.
Hanania's columns are archived on his personal website at RayHanania.com. Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Hanania is President/CEO of Urban Strategies Group which provides communications services to governments and private businesses, and hosts writing training workshops, and publishes books.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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